Sometimes you come across music that just cannot be
classified into one particular restrictive category, Bleak Flesh from Chile is one such
act. Their full length album “Transcendence” transcends all metal genres. With
a base of death metal, there are progressive, technical, melodic and deathcore
elements thrown into the mix. The resulting music leaves the listener in a total state
of bewilderment.

The music has the guttural
death metal vocals, which are sparingly used throughout the record and
compliment the music very well, and are one of the stronger aspects of the
music. The programmed drums on the other hand, pull the record down throughout,
as they sound compressed and unnatural.

“Introspective Hypernova” stands out early on, with
deathcore riffs starting the track, as it ventures into more progressive
territories as the track progresses, with amazing licks thrown in in the latter
half of the track. “Cryosphere” also brings a fresh vibe, with highly technical
riffs perfectly giving way to melodic tunes midway, before taking the lead once
again. “The Psycho Pulsar” ends the album on a high note, with some great rhythmic
drum work, which compliments the symphony of the keyboard in a perfect manner.

But this mind bending blending does have a few odd moments
too. “The Quantum of Light” feels a incoherent mix right from the word go, with
no synchronization between the band members, and the music coming out extremely
disjoint. “Antimatter Collector” is another track which faces similar
difficulties, as the atmosphere created by the keys opposes the rest of the
musical structure, making the whole experience a tad uncomfortable.

What works for the album in parts, ultimately causes the collapse for the album overall – extreme variation. It
feels as if random bits created by the group have been brought together, which
makes listening to the entire album a tedious and slightly boring process. This
is quite sad, as the band members showcase traces of great potential at various
points throughout the album.

I’m not writing off the band into oblivion just yet, they
just need to find their own sound better and come out with a slightly more
focused music in the future.